Engineer, rancher dies at 87

Richard “Dick” Truly, Boeing aeronautical engineer, rancher, father, grandfather and uncle, died Jan. 2 at his Kenmore home. He was 87.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Bothell United Methodist Church next to Bothell High. A commemorative service will be held following the service in the North Creek Events Center at the University of Washington, Bothell/Cascadia Community College campus.

Truly’s passion was his ranch, which became the UW-Bothell/Cascadia campus. He was also a United States Air Force pilot serving in World War II.

Aviation was another of his passions. He was widely known for his yellow Piper Club airplane parked in the cow pasture off Interstate 405 in Bothell that he used to commute to work at Boeing for more than 10 years.

The longtime Boeing engineer, engineering manager and consultant’s special interest and expertise was ballistic missile defense (BMD). He and a small group of specialists he headed, beginning in the late ’50s, spearheaded Boeing BMD activities, including the highly successful HiBex Program.

He was a major participant in developing land-use policies in the North Creek Valley, attending planning meetings for many years. In 1995, the Boone/Truly ranch was sold to the state of Washington for the UW-Bothell/Cascadia campus. He continued to stay involved in campus affairs as an enthusiastic supporter of the higher education.

Remembrances may be made to the UWB Richard H. Truly Jr. Scholarship: UW foundation c/o the RHT scholarship, P.O. Box 426 Bothell WA 98041.

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